Boards are often highly-decorated pieces of cardboard or wood which are essentially useless to experienced players of the game, because it is a general rule that if you need to look at the board you don't know how to play the game properly.

However, most players have antique boards (or, at the very least, cheap ones) hanging from their kitchen walls as a tribute to those players who have gone before. Also, it helps to have something to punch when you lose.